In “Why Can Some Kids Handle
Pressure While Others Fall Apart”, by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman they
explain, using biology, the reasons why some students flourish under pressure
while others flounder. In addition,
insight is provided as to the best ways for each type of student to build a
better tolerance for stress and thus a better ability to perform. Response to pressure is dictated by a
number of factors, including a genetic component. One gene, called the COMT gene is hypothesized to explain
largely why some children are prone to worry while others are the
opposite. This gene “carries the
assembly code for an enzyme that clears dopamine from the prefrontal cortex…
Our brains work best when dopamine is maintained at an optimal level. You don’t want too much, or too
little. By removing dopamine, the
COMT enzyme helps regulate neural activity and maintain mental function.” There are two variants of the gene, one
of which builds enzymes that slowly removes dopamine, whereas the other builds
enzymes that do the opposite. In
lab experiments focusing on cognitive tasks, it has been shown that under
normal conditions, the people with the slow-acting enzyme gene have a cognitive
advantage over those who have the fast-acting enzyme. The catch is that those with slow-enzymes react much worse
under stressful conditions and the advantage reverses itself. Too much dopamine enters the prefrontal
cortex as a result of the stress and the slow-acting enzymes work too slowly to
remove enough dopamine. The
dopamine can’t be removed fast enough and cognitive ability suffers. In a particular study on a Taiwanese
national exam, students with the slow acting enzymes floundered on the exam in
comparison to those with the opposite condition. In spite of this, studies have also shown that those who
have the “worrier” genes can learn to handle stress as long as they are
experienced in such circumstances.
In such an instance, the cognitive advantage to having the slow-acting
enzyme gene returns.
This article is incredibly
important to many Bronxville High School students. As I write this, countless kids across the country are
preparing for the SAT or ACT. Such
exams put an incredible amount of pressure upon students, as many fear that without
a certain score, they will never have the opportunity to attend the colleges of
their choice. In such
circumstances, stress can potentially overwhelm and result in catastrophe. This article dealt with the genetic
component that allows some to flourish where others fail in these
circumstances. It is important to
note though, that even those who have a tendency to collapse under pressure
actually have a cognitive genetic advantage, and once they are acclimated to
high-pressure situations have a greater chance to succeed.
I thought this article gave
incredibly in-depth look into a complex topic and was very well written. Details of numerous experiments were
divulged and no statistic or study was left out. My only complaint about the article was that it was
incredibly long and thus was difficult to process. It contained a lot of information and thus had to be read
and digested very slowly.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/magazine/why-can-some-kids-handle-pressure-while-others-fall-apart.html?pagewanted=6&_r=1&ref=general&src=me
Cyrus chose a very interesting article from both a behavioral standpoint and a more scientific standpoint. I like that he chose a topic that is relevant to all students who will take any standardized test. He made a valid point that the article was a little long and therefore easy to get lost in with all of the various examples and anecdotes. I found his description of the experiments described in the article to be very accurate and clarified what I had read in the article.
ReplyDeleteI would have preferred if he had paraphrased the explanation of the COMT gene in his review rather than inserting a lengthy quote from the article. I feel like simplifying the concept into one or two sentences would be best for a review as the article’s explanation was very detailed. In addition, I feel like (although it would have made his review longer), he could have included one of the stories from the article as I found them to be very interesting.
What I thought was most interesting was the difference between siblings and how they feel about tests, like the two brothers mentioned in the beginning of the article. I also found it interesting that sometimes children who are more intelligent perform worse on standardized tests when they are under a lot of pressure. I feel like this is not only a problem for high school students, but one that affects elementary school children (as they are being tested at younger and younger ages) and adults in the professional field as well.
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ReplyDeleteCyrus’ review was impressive in that it quoted the article in a way that really clarified the issue at hand, he chose a topic that has a direct connection to both our A.P. Biology class and our lives as students, and he presented an interesting critique. In his summary of the article, Cyrus quoted Po Bronson and Ashley Merriman, the authors of “Why Some Kids Can Handle Pressure While Others Fall Apart,” making use of a well-worded statement that helped to advance my understanding of the issue. This one quote is one of the parts of the article that is the most closely related to the topics that we are studying and it was helpful that he decided to quote the clarifying statement rather than paraphrase it and lose some of its meaning. The topic, of course, was very closely connected to what we are studying in class right now, specifically the chapter entitled From Gene to Protein, as the dominant and recessive COMT alleles regulate what kind of enzyme is made and how quickly the dopamine is broken down. The topic also relates to our lives because many students at Bronxville have a very heavy workload and know the feeling of stress all too well. We could easily benefit from giving ourselves the mindset that this article recommends. Finally, Cyrus’ critique was interesting in that it pointed out that while the information itself was helpful, it was somewhat buried in the long length of the article. I would agree with that, but I feel that it was a “good read” all the same.
ReplyDeleteTwo things that Cyrus could have done better are explaining what dopamine is – he never touched upon this in his summary – and that he did not provide enough concrete examples. Dopamine, while discussed at length in his review, was never actually defined, so that it was not clear what it actually is. Also, though he provided the example of the Taiwanese scholastic exam, he could have taken it further and used it and other examples to illustrate his point more fully.
What impressed me about this article was that I had never considered the direct relation between genetics and stress. I was surprised to learn the role of the COMT gene in regulating stress, as well as that “worriers” actually have a long-term advantage over “warriors.”
I thought Cyrus’ review of “Why Can Some Kids Handle Pressure While Others Fall Apart” was very informative and interesting. One thing I really liked about the review is the fact that it included a lot of detail. Also I learned about the COMT gene and why some students flourish under pressure while others crumble through this review. Cyrus nicely summarized the information and present the reader with the interesting and important information. I also thought that this was a very good article choice since it is very relevant in our lives; the relevancy helped make it very interesting and easy to read.
ReplyDeleteI thought the review could have mentioned more about the other stories from the article since they were very interesting and there was only one clear example. I also think that the review could have included more information about dopamine and what it is since it was a main part of the article and review.
Overall I was very intrigued by this article since it made me think about the differences between people who succeed under pressure and people who crumble. This is very interesting research since finding out more information about this could lead to people learning better ways to cope and work under high pressure situations.
I liked Cyrus’ article review because pressure is something every kid deals with and I never thought of this topic connecting to Biology. Obviously there are specific things going on in the body that may cause one human to react differently to pressure than another. However, pressure is something that we rarely discuss in school, and is almost pushed off to the side, deemed unimportant. Cyrus does a great job explaining the COMT gene, which explains the variance in students in their ability to respond to pressure. It’s amazing to look at such simple topics for discussion like stress and pressure, and then analyzing complex genes and enzymes that are responsible for regulating neural activity affecting mental health. Cyrus’ first paragraph is phenomenal as he mostly summarizes the article in his own words, but when integrating a quote, he does so wisely as it helps clear up confusion, providing more context on the issue, while reassuring the reader.
ReplyDeleteOne thing the reviewer can improve upon is maybe including information about some of the other factors that affect an individual’s ability to handle and tolerate stress. There was an excess of description regarding the COMPT gene and its connection to dopamine levels. Although this is what may have dominated the article, I would have loved to learn about some of the other factors that the article presented. Secondly, Cyrus should have talked about a couple of more experiments and other statistics in his summary. This would have enhanced the review and the level of understanding in, us, the readers.
I am impressed with Cyrus’ ability to reiterate the most important aspects of the article without directly copying the information from the text, while making sense in his argument. Cyrus writes his reviews like they are English papers!
Cyrus’s review of the “Why Can Some Students Handle Pressure While Others Fall Apart” was done very well, and was especially interesting as it is relevant to our class, but also our lives as students who are under massive amounts of pressure. Cyrus included a lot of detail, including the fact that the gene COMT controls whether a student thrives or “crumbles” under pressure. This topic coincided with our study of genetics and the ability for genes and enzymes to control how we respond to different environments, in this case, a pressurized environment. Overall Cyrus did an excellent job of summarizing the article, and simplifying the sometimes complex terminology and concepts. One thing I think Cyrus could have included was one of the stories that was mentioned in the article as they were very interesting and applied the study to real life situations. Another thing I think he could have done was expanded upon the explanation of the Taiwanese scholastic exam to make his point more clear. The most interesting part of this article was the concept that the gene COMT had such a large impact on how we react or respond to pressure. It really made clear how genes are affected by different environments and expressed differently in different people. It was also cool to have proof that certain people genetically react well or don’t react well to pressure, and that its not all just your mindset or approach.
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